Despite their dapper appearance, penguins have remarkably little taste, a new study finds.
Penguins can’t taste bitter, sweet or the savory taste known as umami, researchers report February 16 in Current Biology. The jury is still out on whether the birds can taste salty and sour.
The ability to taste depends upon proteins called receptors. Those receptors nestle in the outer membrane of cells in the taste buds. Once receptors detect the molecules responsible for a particular taste, the receptors send a message to the brain about what’s tripping across the tongue.